July 10, 2006

people on flickr and bubbleshare and all over the web take photos of flowers. Many many people whose work I respect -- both the written word and photography -- are enthralled with flowers and close-up inspections of stamens and the like. The more pollen laden, the better the pix I guess. Throw in a bee in midflight, and the net gasps.

I can't blame viewers for admiring the spectacularness of such photos. And I'm a little ashamed to say that I don't much like flowers. I mean, I don't hate them or anything, but I'm just not drawn to them. Was it one too many Lilac Festivals as a kid? One too many funerals? What?

I want to like flowers and plants. I do. Jenna has a cactus. That's as close as I've come to having a plant in the house in like a dozen years. What's up with that? I think flowers are cute when they bloom, but unless that blossom turns into a tomato at the end of a vine, I'm like: that's nice.

Now when I get flowers I can put in a vase, I LIKE those kind. Because all I have to do is admire them, not take care of them. I like showing myself and other people that I am worthy of flowers. I like being flowered more than I like flowers.

What I guess I'm saying is this: Please, keep showing me the flowers you find, the pollen and petals and the like. I love that you love plant life. It takes enormous pressure off of me that you do. I am glad you are doing the caring on this one. Because I don't have it in me.